Mars gets community service for drug arrest

The Grenade hitmaker, real name Peter Hernandez, was arrested in Las Vegas in September (10) after a bathroom attendant at the Hard Rock Hotel allegedly caught him with a bag of cocaine.

He was hit with a felony count for drug possession and faced up to four years behind bars and a £33,330 fine if convicted, but Mars managed to avoid jail after striking a plea deal with prosecutors in January (11).

Mars pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of possession of a controlled substance earlier this month (Feb11) and was officially sentenced in court on Wednesday (16Feb11), four days after landing his first two Grammy Awards on Sunday (13Feb11).

The judge ordered the 25-year-old star to complete community service, enrol in an eight-hour counselling programme, and pay a £1,330 fine. If he stays out of trouble for the next 12 months, the charge will be wiped from his record.

And the singer is glad to put the matter behind him once and for all.

His lawyer Blair Berk tells TMZ.com, "We are very pleased that the prosecution has agreed to dismiss the charge."